About

Pedaling for Parkinson's

RAGBRAI 2011

Pedaling for Parkinson’s is committed to advancing our
understanding of how physical activity impacts the motor symptoms
associated with Parkinson’s disease. Pedaling for Parkinson’s
research mission came about after Cathy Frazier, Co-founder, commented
during RAGBRAI 2003 that, “for this week it did not feel like I
had Parkinson’s.” These comments were later confirmed to some
degree by Dr. Alberts. Upon returning to Atlanta, Dr. Alberts
evaluated Cathy’s motor symptoms using the clinical evaluation
assessment, the Unified Parkinson’s disease Rating Scale
(UPDRS-Part III Motor Exam). Cathy’s scores decreased by nearly
35% compared to her scores approximately six months earlier.
While on the 2003 trip, Dr. Alberts also noticed that Cathy’s
tremors had improved and her handwriting seemed to be larger and more
legible.

Improved motor functioning over the course of
training for RAGBRAI and during the event itself led to Dr. Alberts
positing that riding on a tandem may have contributed to these
improvements in motor function in the upper and lower extremity. These
non-specific improvements suggest that these changes are not just
due to changes in lower extremity body composition.

We
are currently exploring the hypothesis that these improvements in
motor function are due to an increase in the patients’ cadence
(RPM’s). The average cadence of a Parkinson’s disease patient
during stationary and on-road cycling is between 40-50 RPM. A
well-conditioned road cyclist will typically pedal at cadences
greater than 85 RPM. When riding on a tandem bicycle both
participants must pedal at the same rate as the pedals are locked via a
timing chain. We hypothesize that positive motor effects occur
when Parkinson’s patients pedal at rates higher than they can
normally achieve (e.g. riding a tandem with a trained cyclist).